Silk paints on Watercolor Paper???

I got curious about painting on watercolor paper with the paints I use on silk. Keep in mind, I said paints, not dyes. Silk paint is basically very thin acrylic paint, so I figured " why not?" This is the result, a 24" x 36" " watercolor" using silk paints instead of traditional watercolors. The silk paints have two advantages, they are already mixed, are liquid & they come in quantities to allow for coverage of large areas of a particular color with even coverage. They are also transparent, water clean up & are diluted with water, the silk paints are, in effect, plain watercolors. Artists use acrylics like watercolors all the time. At least you don't have to mix the tube colors with water & hope you have enought to paint a consistent color over a large area. These paints solve that problem. Anyway, here's the painting.

In the Garden

Here's the fourth in the fantasy series on silk.

The Seeing Tree

Third in the fantasy series, on silk, about 18 x 24, if you'll. to ice the tree has eyes to see with. The second photo is a detail shot.

Another silk painting

Here's another painting on silk, which fast becoming my favorite painting surface. It's about 18" x 24", and is the second in a series of fantasy themed paintings I have planned. Because it's painted on silk, I use special paints made especially for silk. They're very watery in consistency & slow like watercolors. There will be more fantasy paintings. Stay tuned.

Branching out into sales

Just a short note to announce I've signed on with http://fineartamerica.com/index.html, a website to sell my artwork & get it out there. Just type in my name under the artist search to see what's offered. Remember, the images are of my original art.

Hooked on Silks

Here are two more paintings done on silk. I used habatoi or china silk, which is really a smooth painting surface. I used silk paints, very thin consistency. These paints are made specifically for silk painting, can be heat set & flow very easily, spreading onto the porous silk. I used silk artist, Karen Sistek, method so spraying the silk with magic sizing spray prior to painting, it acts as an overall resist to regard the bleeding of the paints onto the silk, which is one reason silk is seen as a difficult medium to paint on. The sizing makes it possible to use traditional watercolor methods for painting, using color glazes, masking and such. Anyway, here are the two most recent paintings on silk.

Two Cats Silk Painting

It's finished. Measures about 16" x 20", on silk.

Progress . . .

Quick update on the new silk painting. I plan to spray the cats with a sizing that allows one to paint in greater detail ( so the colors don't run as much). I have to let this part dry, then I'll place a sticky backed stencil of the cats on the painting, spray it, remove the stencil & hopefully nothing else on the painting, then paint the cats. The next pic I post will be the finished painting.

New Silk Painting in Progress

The first pic is the sketch, the second is the 18 x24 silk with resist applied. The resist keeps the colors separated one the silk, otherwise the colors would bleed into each other, making a mess.